Shadows of light
by Lucario76
Summary: For Aleu the last few years have been hard, but nothing compares to what is about to come. Finding out that she was adopted and that she isn't a normal human being that she has abilities one could only dream of. The trick now is to how to control it before it takes control of her as she strives to discover who she really is. **this is my first time publishing one of my books, so
1. Prologue

Everything in this world has a yin and a yang, a light and a darkness. It was told that at the beginning there were two brothers one gifted with the ability to change into a Phoenix to harness the power of the light, while the younger brother was gifted with the ability to change into a wolf and to harness the power of the darkness. Together they created balance for centuries, watching over the people of Tektula.

After so many centuries the younger brother had enough. He wanted to stop watching and instead become one with the people. The eldest brother didn't agree. He felt it was their duty and privilege to watch over the people. The eldest brother only saw greed and envy for the people in his younger brother, not the true curiosity and yearning to learn from the people the younger brother actually felt. The younger brother only saw his eldest brothers response as pride and greed, not the humility and love the eldest had towards protecting the people.

Though his eldest brother did not agree, contention began to grow between the two brothers. It was at this time that one night from watching the people the younger brother met a young woman. At first they became friends, any questions that the younger brother had, the woman willingly answered.

After many years the woman grew older and so did their feelings towards one another. The younger brother was ready to give up everything he had to be with her, when the eldest brother discovered the woman as well. His heart leapt from the sight of her. Soon after the eldest brother uncovered the younger brothers plan to leave his immortal life and become mortal for the woman. The eldest brother was enraged with jealousy and envy seeing the love the woman had for his younger brother and not him the eldest.

A fight broke out between the two brothers as the night fought with the day and the shadows with the light, for many years the battle wagged between the two brothers, every time the younger brother tried to leave to join his love, the eldest brother would interfere causing another battle to break out. Until at last the fighting ceased, but the consequences were great. The planet had taken such a hit that Tektula was split between the light and the darkness.

The younger brother, once he had the chance gave up his immortal life to join the woman he had fallen in love with to join her in a mortal life creating a family, being happy through the rest of his mortal life. At first all the eldest brother could do was watch. Watching his younger brothers happiness, until it was too much.

He changed from an immortal to a mortal as well forcing love on a woman he found to be beautiful and created a family of his own just to spite his younger brother.

After both brothers had passed on from this life, the immortal part of their souls took possession and sealed them as protectors forever watching over their people, watching the consequences for their actions. The younger brother became what we call now the Moon and the eldest brother became what we now call the Sun sharing his flames of light for all to see. For centuries the descendants continued the feud between the two now kingdoms. Until the King of the Kingdom of Ziv marched on the kingdom of Mahina, killing all who stood in his path including the entire royal family. The King of Ziv felt he had finally conquered what his ancestors could not, uniting the planet Tektula.

It is said though not all of the royal family died that fateful day, that the youngest daughter chosen even from the stars at birth that she would be the next queen, survived.

A child shot his hand into the air, as the teacher closed the book with a great deal of respect. "Yes, Tucu?" She asked.

"Mommy said that the baby died."

"Many believe that she did, others say that she was able to escape, but no one knows for sure. Some say that if she had in fact died that the Moon, who is said to be her ancestor remind you, would have wept and would have cradled her and make her one of the stars in the sky like her ancestors before her, but again no one knows for sure."

The teacher placed the book gently back on the shelf full of old worn books. Another child came up to her and lightly pulled on her pant leg.

"Tzili, is that why all the moon elves hide and the sun elves hurt us?" Sorrow filled the small child's eyes. So much so Tzili wished she could take it all away. As she looked around at all the children, they had all gone quiet waiting for what her answer might be. Tzili picked the child up into her arms and held him on her hip as she address all the children.

"There are no such things as moon elves only the sun elves. If they did ever exist they don't now. Make sure you don't say anything about them again, alright?" Tzili's voice was hushed but loud enough that each child could hear her and feel the importance of each word.

This was not a time where they all could laugh and play all day everyday. This was a time where even their little lives were on the line, should they say or do something the People of light disapproved of.

All at once Tzili and the children jumped as a whole, as a horn blared across the land. It signaled the sun having disappeared, and that the work day was coming to an end. She quickly looked to all the children seeing their terrified faces, and knowing they did not want to leave her protection.

"Go, go now. Lest the SEE's find you." She rushed the children out of the makeshift classroom, she had created over the years.

She waited a moment listening closely to see if she could hear the little pitter patter of the children's feet, then she expertly silently left the room and shut the door that blended into the walls concealing the hidden room.

She ran down the small hall and toward the growing crowds of people elves dwarfs alike all trying to get home before the time of the curfew. Each person was racing toward their own family or personal cells.

Tzili quickly and stealthily joined the growing racing crowd, after years of practice no one noticed that she came from no where, but then again, no one really cared. Tzili fell into the pace of the racing crowd navigating her way to her own home.

Tzili refused to call it a cell as all the others did, it was her home and she would never allow what the people of the kingdom of Ziv made the people think of as homes. She looked over the banister watching the several layers of people trying to hurry to their 'cells', Tzili remembered a time when people looked happy coming to and from work everyday. That time was not now, everyone seemed so depressed and tired, as if this world had run them ragged.

Tzili carried on though sneaking in and out of the crowd making sure that no one followed her, till she reached the hidden door. She quickly and quietly moved the door that blended into the metal walls, just enough so that she could slip through and moved it back into place. She took the steps up to the roof slower now that she was alone.

As she reached the roof top, she looked out at the city of metal, and wondered if things would every be alright, where children could laugh and play as easily as breathing again, or if their lives would always be like this. Wondering if today was going to be their last or if they would make it till tomorrow. Hoping that the rules/laws would be lessoned.

Tzili turned from the view toward a large metal container on one corner of the roof, and pulled a hidden lever. A machine began working as it pulled open one of the four walls, the blades of metal that had looked like one began to bend back as it revealed the living quarters inside.

A warm breeze blew through Tzili's long braided hair, blowing it over her shoulder. She looked out to where the breeze was going, and clutched the necklace she wore of a crescent moon with a crystal that dangled in the middle of it.

"I wonder how your life has turned out my dearest princess, or if you have fallen to join the rest of your beloved family. Where ever you are, I hope you are happy, and I hope you return soon to us."


	2. Chapter 1: The past is not today

The wind whistled around me as I fell through the sky the ground coming fast. I couldn't figure out where I was or what was happening around me or how to stop myself from falling. The ground appeared before me, metal buildings were everywhere, as I got closer I could see two people standing on top of the closer metal buildings roof.

I tried to scream for help but nothing came from my voice. The metal building came closer and I squeezed my eyes shut preparing to hit the hard building.

I popped upright in my large queen sized bed, quickly loosing my balance and fell flat to the floor. I rubbed my now sore hip as a hairy head plopped off the side of the bed with a tired look that spoke 'why did you do that, go back to bed.' His large mouth opened into a yawn, then looked sleepily back toward me. I laughed lightly, and sat up to rub Chase's soft ears, rubbing them in the way he loved.

His eyes began to droop and his long tongue eased out. His sleepy eyes were making me want to fall back asleep, when the alarm on my phone sounded, I dropped my hands reaching for my phone to silence my alarm, but Chase decided that I wasn't done giving him attention and began pawing at me, begging for more. I stood to go change out of my pajamas and into my work cloths just to see Chase pop his head up at me and heard his tail flapping against the bed. His ears were perked waiting for something exciting to happen.

By the time I was done changing and had brushed my teeth and my long dirty blond brown hair and had placed it into a braid that stopped in the small of my back. I looked back to the bed only to see Chase still there waiting for something big to happen. I knew exactly what to do at this point, making eye contact, I took a step back bracing myself for what was to come, Chase instinctively perked his head back up waiting for the movement.

Just when I thought he was about to lay his head back on the bed I ran from the room bee lining it toward the backdoor. I was barely out of the room when I heard a loud thump come from the room and then the claws on the wood floor chased after me. When I made it to the back door he had almost caught up to me, I opened the door and out he ran. I was out of breath by the time I shut the back door closing him to the back yard.

Going through the kitchen in a practiced manor I had breakfast waiting for Chase to paw at the backdoor signaling that he was ready to come back in. I mixed my shake and prepped my lunch, when there was a thud against the back door.

"Guess you decided to use your head this time instead of your paws you silly dog." I opened the door, letting him in. His happy tail wagging the whole way. I walked back into the kitchen to finish getting my lunch ready and to drink my breakfast shake, a little shadow following me the whole time. I walked all over the kitchen, trying to finish getting ready when Chase finally gave up following me to sit at the edge of the kitchen to watch me.

My kitchen wasn't very big, but it wasn't small by any comparison either. It was very open with an island separating it from the dinning room. On one side of the island it opened to the living room and the door to the back yard.

On the other side of the island there was an opening that lead around to the dinning room and to a hall that lead to the two bedrooms. One of the two bedrooms having been converted into an office. Between the dining room and the kitchen there was another hall and a set of stairs that led into the basement, and the hall lead to the front door and the front room, or as I call it the music room. I had filled it with many music books and many of the different instruments I had learned to play over the years.

In the basement was the family room and another but smaller bedroom, that I had converted into a sowing room, along with the laundry room. A bathroom connected to both that bedroom and the two bedrooms upstairs. From off the dining room was a door that lead to the three car garage, which only held my car and my motorcycle.

Another alarm sounded on my phone, bringing my thoughts back to reality. I grabbed my phone and my small bag filled with my wallet and a few other necessary tools, like a pocket knife and pain medicine.

I grabbed the rest of my shake, put on my cowgirl boots and ran out the garage door. Chase tried to keep up with me while I dashed around grabbing everything, and he almost made it past the garage door, had I not been paying close enough attention.

I placed my lunch and my bag in one of the compartments on my motorcycle rolled forward off the kickstand and slowly backed it out of the garage, and down the driveway. I looked up to see Chase looking at me through the front window in the music room. I backed out onto the street and headed toward work.

The drive to work wasn't bad, it wasn't too long, and as long as there wasn't construction on the roads, the traffic wasn't to bad either. Having headphones in made the drive go by fast as well. My helmet also helped tune out most of the outside world and the buzz of traffic but kept my music from my blue tooth headphones still inside the helmet.

Before I had realized it, I had reached my office building. I parked my motorcycle, grabbed my bag and headed into the building. The office space was on the fourth floor, and unlike most people, I didn't like to take the elevator, so instead everyday I took the four flights of stairs to and from the office.

Putting someone in a box that went up and down and was only held up by very thick wire cables, never really sat well with me. I would rather get the excise from taking the stairs. Plus watching way too many horror movies where the elevator crashed and killed many people didn't help any.

By the time I reached the office, I had just scanned my badge to unlock the door, when Daniel opened the door for me and began the day.

"Thank goodness you're here, Aleu. It's super busy, and I don't think any of the other supervisors in the main office have logged into their phones yet. I can't get ahold of anyone!" Daniel shrieked.

A moment later three others had joined Daniel and were asking questions. I wasn't a supervisor but a team lead, but it didn't matter I was close enough for it not to make to much of a difference. I pushed through the crowd that had gathered to ask questions, and I did my best to answer them. If I couldn't I turned to the representative as best as I could pin point and told them to forward the customer to my voicemail and that I would get back to them when I had the chance.

One by one each question was answered, by the time I reached my desk in the back of the office, I had almost answered everyone's questions. I was stationed in the very back of the office to keep an eye on everyone, while the supervisor for our department sat at the front to keep an eye there.

We were a working functioning team. It seemed interesting to think that I had been working here for almost four years now. When I began, this office was just a back up in case the main office went down. Now there was a different back up office in case both locations went down. The bank I work for had grown considerable in that time. Much more than they had anticipated at first.

I sat down at my desk and began to login to my computer and onto all the computer icons that I knew I needed to use on a daily basis. As I opened my email ready to answer some questions that had popped up from customer service representatives in the main office and in the third location. Even the team lead in the third location was emailing me asking questions.

I had almost missed that the supervisor for my location had sent me a personal email, stating that she was working in the main office today, which wasn't abnormal, and that I should go to her desk unlock it and grab the stack of papers with my name on it, and to begin working on the stack.

I had a spare key to her desk for moments like this.

When she would rather work out of the main office or if she had a meeting that she needed to attend at the main office. I stayed at our location and took over what ever work she needed me to do. I stood from my desk walked over to hers and opened the drawer only to notice that the stack was twice the size she had described.

"A small stack, yeah. This is probably twice or even triple the size. Oh, well. I better get started." I mumbled to myself. Grabbing the large stack I headed back to my desk to begin.

"Chris over piling work onto you again?" A voice spoke next to me. I looked over and saw Theresa standing there, looking over the glass to my desk.

"Well, it's one of the many things that I am here for. What can I help you with Theresa?" I leafed through some of the papers and knew exactly what needed to be done, but looked back towards Theresa.

"Nothing in particular, I was just going to ask if you wanted any help." I knew she meant well, but taking the time to explain what to do and then have her ask even more questions.

"Maybe another time. When Chris is here too. Then we will see, and if we are busy." Right then my phone blew up with many people calling, either customers or coworkers.

"You sure about that?" I placed my head on my desk.

"Yeah, it is one of the reasons why I come into work a half hour early, so then I can get as much work done in the day as possible." Right then another email from Chris appeared stating that she wanted all the paperwork she had left for me to do, to be done by the end of the business day today.

"Well this is definitely going to be a busy day."

After several hours had passed, I glanced at the clock on my computer that I had missed my half hour lunch and my first fifteen minute break of the day, and I was just about to miss my last fifteen minute break. I quickly logged off my phone and locked my computer after clocking out.

I looked at the remaining stack that I still had to do on top of the work that I was supposed to do still, that I hadn't even touched.

I took a deep breath and placed my head on my desk for just a moment. I just wanted to forget about reality for just a moment, but that was truly impossible. The break only lasted at least seven minutes instead of the fifteen. Then I was back on the phones and working on the stack that still needed to be worked.

What felt like only two hours later, the alarm on my phone went off, signaling that the work day was over and it was time to go home, meaning that three and a half hours had actually passed. The stack was completely gone and I was almost finished with my regular work.

Moving quickly I logged off my phone and finished my work, emailed Chris that all the work had been done, logged off the computer, locked my desk, and left for the day. When I stood, I realized that I was the last one in the office again. The alarm on my phone was to tell me I wasn't allowed to work anymore, but my actual shift ended an hour and a half before.

I am used to being the last in the office, but today felt so different, especially since my mom had tried all day to get ahold of me. I stopped for a moment outside the office after locking up, thinking.

When was the last time I had actually talked to my mom, maybe a year maybe a few months. I knew she had sent my godmother Genevieve over a few times to check on me. I loved seeing her, she always seemed to bring me back to reality in a calm manner not so much a crash land to earth like talking with my mother would end up. I hurried down the stairs to my motorcycle.

Gene and I had set up an agreement, where she would go and check on Chase while I was at work since she worked from home almost everyday, and since she lived just a few houses down the street. It helped me not worry about him while I was at work, helping me to focus completely on the work load that needed to be done.

My head began to pound in pain, as voices started to slowly creep back in. Women and children screamed in my ears. I halted at the bottom of the stairs and searched in my bag grabbing my meds and a water bottle. I downed both the pill and some water, and slowly the voices began to fade as well as the pain. They were getting worst lately, and I couldn't understand why this was happening at all.

I jumped on my motorcycle and headed home. Spring had come and gone and summer was almost here. The air warmed around me as I drove, clearing my head completely, helping to concentrate on just driving. The drive seemed to pass in a flash. I stoped by the mailbox grabbing todays mail, then drove into the driveway, as I waited for the garage door to open I lifted the front of my helmet and saw a figure waiting for me in the window as if he had never left from the one spot from this morning.

I parked my motorcycle in the garage closed it and headed into the house. Chase almost didn't allow me to open the garage door to the house.

"Buddy, back off, let me get in then I can give you attention and let you go outside." I was fighting to open the door, when he finally backed off and I could hear him run around the kitchen area. Opening the door was easier now that he wasn't pushing against it. When he saw me, I quickly dropped everything on the table before chase could knock everything out of my hands, and got to his level and began to give him some love.

He climbed onto my bended legs to get right into my face just to smell my mouth. My dog is super strange he never gives kisses unless he is super tired, but they are only on either the hands arms or legs. He never gives kisses on the face.

"Ok, ok. I love you to, do you recognize me now, or do you need even more loving. Like maybe a belly rub." I flipped him onto his back and began to rub his belly. His hind legs extended loving the belly rub. I stopped and quickly stood bolting for the back door, quickly unlocking it and letting chase into the backyard.

I looked out watching him sniff the backyard, just to remember how many times his beagle hound nose had gotten him into more trouble than I could count. No matter what happened though or what he did, Chase was still my baby. The only one who I knew would never leave me. I grabbed my stuff off of the table and put them away, when I returned Chase was ready to come back in.

He burst through the door running for his bone he had left in the front room. Eagerly bringing the bone back to show me. I smiled to myself and began looking through the mail. My hand paused on one of the envelopes. Usually all I got was bills, advertisements, and other boring letters. Sometimes I just happened to stumble upon ones like this envelope which I disliked to see the most.

I disliked myself for feeling jealous or hateful toward them, which made me feel worst. I opened the envelope revealing the thing I didn't want to see. A wedding invitation. Another friend is getting married.

My heart fell, the invitation was beautiful, but it hurt so much to look at. I glanced back at the calendar on the side of the fridge. May tenth, one year ago today he had proposed.

"Adam where are we going?" I asked completely confused as to where he was leading me. My eyes were covered by a fancy bandana. Adam leading me through what I could tell from walking was a forested area, he held my hand. It was warm out, but was beginning to cool down as the sun began setting bringing an end to the day.

"I am so glad I had you wear that bandana, knowing you, you would be trying to look and ruin the surprise." I could hear Adam chuckle to himself.

"Adam, you know I don't like surprises. Please, can't you just give me a hint as to where we are going?" He brought us to a sudden stop. Adam lifted the bandana up slightly so that I could see, but he blocked my line of sight completely. I stared into his deep blue green eyes as he stared back into my dark chocolate brown eyes. After a few moments, he sighed giving in.

"Alright fine, we are going in the north west direction."

"Adam," we both began laughing at his joke. He had told me exactly what I had wanted to know, but not about the actual location. "You think you are so funny." I rolled my eyes. Adam cupped my face in his hands as he leaned down toward me.

"That is one of the reasons why you stay around me." He laid his lips gently onto mine, kissing me sweetly. When he broke the kiss, we both knew he had won.

"Alright, alright. I concede." I moved the bandana back over my eyes and rested my left hand on his chest. "I will let you surprise me." I could hear how happy and giddy he was, as he grabbed my hand from his chest and began leading me to our destination again.

"I really think you are going to love this surprise." Adam spoke, I could barely hear him as he was turned away from me. After a few moments, Adam stopped us again, and let go of my hand.

"Adam?" I felt around in the empty air, not daring to move. I felt him behind me a second latter. His hands above the bandana.

"Surprise Aleu." He lifted the bandana from my eyes and wrapped his strong arms around my stomach. When I blinked in the fading light, the sight before me caught my breath.

The three story house was beautiful as far as I could see from the back. The architecture was incredible, but things didn't make sense.

"What is this?"

"Well, Aleu. It's a house."

"Thank you captain obvious, I can see that. What I don't understand is why did you bring me to someone's house?" Adam rested his head gently on my shoulder having to bend down slightly to do so.

"Welcome home Aleu." I turned toward Adam quickly.

"What?" I couldn't believe what I had heard. His smile shone all the way to his eyes as he looked at me with that dazzling smile as if I was the only thing he needed in the world.

"Welcome home." Panic set into my heart.

"Adam we cant afford something like this, and to move in together all of a sudden. We hadn't even talked about something like that. We hadn't talked about anything like this." Adam stopped my rambling by gently grabbing my hands in his.

"What do you think surprise means?" He asked his voice so soft, he was teasing me lightly. I knew he had asked rhetorically. The fear still gripped me. "Come on, I want to how you around our new place." He started to lead me toward the back door. I halted abruptly pulling my hand from his.

"Adam, I am serious here." Still smiling Adam came up to me and cupped my face in his hands again, getting me to look into his eyes.

"I am serious too. Aleu, do you trust me?" In that moment I knew no matter what was to come. He was all I cared about, and I was all he cared about.

"Yes, with all my heart mind soul and being." Adam knew how much saying that meant about how I felt about him.

"Then follow me. My lady." He swooped me up into his arms before I could protest and carried me into the house through the back door. He put me down on my feet closed the door and lead me through the first floor of the house from the back door to the front door. Through the kitchen I had dreamed of having since I was a little girl to the beautifully attached dinning room.

"Adam this is all amazing how did you find this place?" We were walking toward the front room when I stoped him and asked. Adam gently grabbed my right hand and lead me into the front room. Every wall was covered with photos of the two of us. "Okay, Adam now your starting to scare me."

In the middle of the room on the carpet lay a picnic blanket with rose petals scattered all around the carpet but on the blanket a vase with roses sat. Candles stood in several places around the room.

I was almost completely awed by the room, but as Adam led me into the room itself, I looked away from the room and focused on the happiest smile that was so big on Adams face. A flicker from a candle off one of the pictures caught my eye, and I started to look at all the pictures around the room.

Each framed and placed in order, from the day we met to today. I knew each picture by heart. All of them we had taken together and I had printed off and placed in a special photo album. How had he gotten them? I looked back at him to ask only to see Adam down on one knee in the middle of the picnic blanket with a small box in his hands and a delicate simple diamond ring displayed from the box.

"Wh... what?" Was all I could muster. The shock and surprise taking over all my senses. I could barely comprehend that Adam was proposing to me. At least that was what I thought was happening. We hadn't talked about marriage. I had hoped one day, but to think that day was today. I couldn't believe it. Adam just chuckled at my response. He stood and walked toward me as he spoke.

"Aleu Theresa Atkins, we have known each other for three years, and of that three years we have been together for one and a half years. Near the beginning of that time, I knew that you were the one for me. Through all the rough times and through all the happy ones I want to share them all with you and only you."

"So for a year and a half you knew you wanted to marry me? You waited till now, Adam, what if something happened?"

"It was a risk I was willing to take, I did have your parents on my side though. So I think we were both in good hands."

"What?"

"Yup, who do you think helped me have this house built to code?" His words took a moment to sink in.

"Wait, are you saying..." I trailed off hoping he would fill in the space. Either to say this was all a joke or to confirm that this was all real.

"Yes, with help from your dad. We built this house, for us. Your mom helped with some of the interior specifics." Adam grabbed both my hands one still holding the box with the ring. "I didn't want us to start our life together in an apartment, not when I knew I could build you, your dream home for both of us."

"None of this must have been cheap, where did you even find the time and the money to do all of this?"

"It was hard at first, keeping to a strict budget and not telling you the full truth. Especially when I wanted to spoil you, but knew I couldn't."

"You pretended you were broke for a year?"

"Just about, when we begin our life together we wont have to worry about any debts either." I let his hands go and hugged him tightly, and let the tears I had been suppressing fall.

"I couldn't have asked for anything but just you. You did too much." He pulled away from our embrace and looked solemnly into my face.

"Does that mean you are saying no?" I could see the fear on his face. I let a light laugh slip past my lips as I opened the lid of the box still in his hands.

"Silly, there is no one I would ever want to spend the rest of my life with. I love you and I will marry you." Adam slipped the ring on my finger and then began to kiss me. The kisses said everything of our love and how we never would let go. I was overfilled with happiness, but was brought back to reality as a flash went off. Fear gripped me as I curled into Adam letting him wrap his strong arms around me to comfort and protect me.

"I told you to turn that stupid flash off. I was recording it, so you didn't need to take any pictures." I heard a gruff whispered voice speak.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. They looked so cute and I wasn't there when my boys proposed. This is so special and romantic." A light female voice spoke as she tried to whisper but failed miserably. I could feel Adams chest rumble as he began laughing.

"You two can come out now. We can hear you." Adam spoke and my parents appeared around the corner.


End file.
